Moose (2.7)
Moose are large prey animals first introduced in the 2.7.3 update. They are the largest and most dangerous prey animals in the game whose carcasses offer the most rewarding sources of food when successfully hunted and killed. Moose are dark brown with lighter legs, long ears and an extended snout. Moose are solitary creatures which do not group together in herds. It is harder to find moose whilst exploring the wilderness as they do not have any defined zones in the same way that elk inhabit designated hunting grounds. Bull and cow moose appear in both single player and multiplayer. In scent vision, toggled by the V key, players can easily identify moose by their melrose scent trails. Behavior They are passive towards players and their mate only from a distance; when approached, moose may stand their ground and attack the player if approached, with bulls dealing significantly more damage than that of a bull elk. Neither gender should be underestimated however as both can quickly and easily overpower any solitary player hunting them without the support of a pack. Cows will either stand their ground or flee. Occasionally, a pair of bulls can be found and observed fighting each other. Carcass Depending on the difficulty setting, carcasses' spawn rates will vary. Moose carcasses, while less frequent, will have a chance of spawning in place of an elk carcass during world generation. A carcass will provide a decent source of health recovery to players and sustenance for pups. Locations Amethyst Mountain During Amethyst Mountain, a pair of bulls can be observed rutting (fighting) towards the edge of the forest, not far from the player's spawn location. This event is more likely to be triggered at dawn or dusk than during broad daylight. Common locations to find moose include the Dry Creek and Amethyst Mountain. Slough Creek During Slough Creek, moose can be encountered anywhere on the northern side of the creek, from Sandbar Crossing to the Old Oxbow. Lost River In Lost River, moose may be encountered on the hilltop or around town. At night, another moose has a high chance of spawning in Lost River, within the confines of the BCE Facility's walls. This moose is always a cow, and will continuously run around the area where it is imprisoned. It cannot leave and seems to remain spawned. This moose was added in 2.7.3 under a codename "MotL"wolfquest.org • WolfQuest 2.7 Patch Releases, later confirmed to be Moose on the Loose by the developerwolfquest.org • The Fight to Save Floppy Moose, which had been dubbed "Floppy" by players since its discovery. Hunting Players are now encouraged to hunt prey in order to provide themselves and their pack with food so as to ensure survival. Solo strategies Moose are very dangerous prey to a wolf without a pack; their ability to keep facing a wolf ensures it's almost impossible to get to the back to attack it safely. As such, hunting a moose in singleplayer is nearly impossible and discouraged. Team strategies As of 2.7, the moose is relatively easy to hunt in multiplayer games. Moose are coded to face the wolf closest to them when in a standoff, but the player is able to get extremely close without actually being attacked. This keeps the moose's backside completely exposed, allowing other players to run in and latch on. As such, the currently used strategy is for one wolf to 'anchor' the moose, sitting as close as possible without being hit, while the rest of the pack take turns attacking the backside. Generally, biting and latching is safer than just biting and backing away, as the moose can turn instantly to defend itself against the attacking wolf, whereas latching means it can't reach you and you have time to back off when your stamina is drained. The pack continues this process until the moose flees, which exposes it to free bites as with any other fleeing prey, before it will once again go into a standoff when at low enough health, which forces the process to repeat until the moose is killed. Gallery 2.7_bullmoose_idle.png|Idle bull 2.7_cowmoose_idle.png|Idle cow 2.7_ruttingbull.png|Rutting bulls in Amethyst Mountain 2.7_ruttingbull_AM2.png|Another location close to the pond in Amethyst Mountain 2.7_ruttingbull_LR1.png|Rutting bulls in Lost River 2.7_ruttingbull.gif 2.7_bullmoose_walking.gif|Bull walking 2.7_cowmoose_walking.gif|Cow walking 2.7_bullmoose_running.gif|Bull running 2.7_cowmoose_running.gif|Cow running Bull_moose_carcass_(2.7).PNG|Bull carcass Cow_moose_carcass_(2.7).PNG|Cow carcass Trivia *The antlers of bulls vary with the seasons as they do in real life. For example, during the spring, they have smaller, velvety antlers. *Moose in Yellowstone are smaller than their arctic counterparts. *The flap of skin under the neck of a moose (which is present regardless of gender) is called a waddle. *The MotL instance is a nod to a pre-release video showing bugged moose while they were still being added to the game. "Floppy" was kept as an easter egg. **There was even a petition to keep the bugged moose (see references, entry #2) even though it is an intentional easter egg. References Category:Prey Category:NPCs Category:Single Player Category:Multiplayer Category:Amethyst Mountain Category:Slough Creek Category:Lost River Category:Hostile Category:Passive Category:2.7